


Just Between Us

by venxtal



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Idiots in Love, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Adoptive Siblings, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:39:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29961735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venxtal/pseuds/venxtal
Summary: Lance McClain, the star athlete, manages to mingle with the band loner, Keith Kogane. Trouble ensues.
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Hunk & Lance (Voltron), Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos to a special someone who made this all possible. This is my first fanfiction, so please leave feedback for future works!
> 
> Thanks, y'all! Enjoy the ride.

_1, 2, 3, 4-_

"MY GIRLFRIEND'S BITCHIN' CAUSE I ALWAYS SLEEP IN,"

_Keith_ _Kogane_ _: the boy both loved and hated._

"SHE'S ALWAYS SCREAMIN' WHEN SHE'S CALLING HER FRIENDS.."

_Keith_ _Kogane_ _: the boy slamming the drums with a sense of passion._

"..SHE'S KINDA HOT THOUGH.."

_Keith_ _Kogane_ _: the boy hitting notes no one would've never expected._

_"_ YEAHH, SHE'S KINDA HOT THOUGH,"

_Keith_ _Kogane_ _: the boy of Lance's dreams._

**JUST BETWEEN US**

The pop of an opened soda can rang throughout the room. Lance welcomed himself into the Holt's fridge as per usual, humming to a spanish tune. Drops of sweat rolled down his face and soaked into his (smelly) basketball uniform.

"God, Lance. You couldn't even wait til I entered my own apartment?" Pidge scoffed at her friend. "You better not have taken the last cherry soda; there's only one left."

"Ooh, Ms. Cherry Soda just looked extra delectable today after a long day of practice~" Lance taunted as Pidge prepared to tackle him into the ground.

Suddenly, a vibration rung inside her hoodie's pocket. The 5:00 alarm to pick up Matt from rehearsal. Usually, Pidge liked to arrive early to get a preview of their latest pieces.

"You were lucky," she glared, turning off the notification. "Matt probably wants to get Denny's afterwards like usual."

"Denny's?! Hell yeah; let's go already, Katie!" the Cuban boy shot up like a puppy.

The gremlin wrinkled her nose in disgust. "At least change and clean up a bit. You smell putrid."

"That's the scent of sweet, sweet victory. Bask in it, dear Pigeon."

Lance threw on a white tank top paired with some skinny, blue jeans. He hastily rubbed the deodorant into his skin and spritzed his favorite coconut cologne.

More like 6 sprays. Y'know, incase any cuties happen to be in the area.

* * *

Although their friendship was stronger than the force of gravity, the car ride was... verbally violent.. to say the least.

"GO RIGHT AT THE NEXT TURN, YOU FUCKING GOON-"

"I'VE DONE THIS AT LEAST 59 TIMES. SHUT THE FUCK UP, LANCE!"

"BITCH, YOU MISSED THE RIGHT TURN?? WHO THE HELL GAVE YOU THE PERMISSION TO DRIVE?!"

"IF YOU WEREN'T TALKING OUT OF YOUR STANK, PANCAKE ASS, MAYBE I WOULDN'T HAVE."

"DON'T INSULT MY FUCKING ASS. IT'S A BLESSING TO SOCIETY UNLIKE YOUR LUNATIC DRIVING-"

10 more minutes of this finally led to the gym of their shared academy. Banging and beats were vibrating even outside of the building. No wonder rehearsal always took place long after school hours.

"Sounds like a party," Lance smirked, hoping there would be a few drinks to go with the music.

"If it were, I wouldn't have taken you."

_1 AND 2_ _AND 3 AND 4 AND-_

The slam of a guitar blared and echoed throughout the mostly empty room, followed by an impressive rhythm of drums.

"SOME DAY I'LL YOU IN, TREAT YOU RIGHT,

DRIVE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND,"

"Is.. Is that Victorious..?"

"It was definitely Matt's choice, no doubt."

"YOU NEVER MET A CHICK LIKE ME. BURN SO BRIGHT; I'M GONNA MAKE YOU BLIND~"

Lance could only give a subtle nod, fully captivated in the stranger's voice. It was a perfect mix of steady, smooth and a rough tongue with surprises. Majestic but so incredibly sexy.

Pidge bopped along with the rhythm, scrolling on her phone. Meanwhile, Lance was struggling to stand on two legs.

"LOOK AT ME, BOY, CAUSE I GOT YOU WHERE I WANTED. ISN'T IT SO EXCITIN'~"

Was it possible to smirk using only your voice..? If it wasn't, it definitely was now. He desperately tried to identify who was singing, stretching his long neck like a giraffe. It wasn't until the incredibly difficult rift when he finally got a glimpse of his target.

The poor boy was about to faint, heart beating impossibly fast. The singer was 10000x more attractive now that Lance was actually focusing on his every moment.

Silky black hair tied into a short ponytail. A smile wider than the distance between the North and South Poles. His body moved along with with voice, mimicking the energy he radiated. And.. were those purple eyes..?

He could feel his consciousness fading, just barely surviving as the music died down. Pidge strolled over to her brother, discussing the sound mechanics of their speakers and mics.

The raven boy brushed up his drum set, cleaning off any lingering fingerprints or marks. Lance popped and appeared right behind him.

"Ay papi... a beautiful face to match a beautiful voice huh?" he winked and leaned in.

Nothing says flirting like a little sarcastic jokes right? He began to speak up, hoping the rile the other up in conversation "The drums could use some, more like a lot, of work though.."

"What..?" the boy dumbly tilted his head in confusion. "Are you serious? What the fuck, Lance?

...I spent 3 weeks learning this song.."

That wasn't the response he expected.

He stumbled, taken aback for more reasons than one. "You know me..?"

But before he could get a response, the singer had already packed up and stormed off.

"Don't mind Keith," a familiar voice, Matt, snuck up. "He's not really used to uh.. social environments."

Lance tsked. "I can tell..."

"You literally just insulted him and expect him to fall head over heels for you?" the short girl mocked.

"It wasn't an insult! I was flirting with him like the gentleman I am!"

"That's better how..? I don't know any gentlemen who show up looking like a frat boy and calling strangers, 'daddy'"

"It's a form of affection! He didn't have to be so lame about it either way."

"Lay off. He doesn't even know you and misunderstood what you meant. If you approached me, I'd get defensive too."

"PIDGE!" Lance whined in defeat before gloomily dragging his feet to the car.

No matter what, he was determined to hear that voice again and win his smile back.


	2. Denny's and Schemes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I invited him," 
> 
> "YOU WHAT?!"

**CHAPTER 2**

Lance depressingly drizzled an unhealthy amount of syrup over his blueberry waffles.

"I just don't get it.. I didn't even get his name."

Matt pointed his fork at the other, offended. "I already told you! It's Keith Kogane"

"Oh shit; THE Keith Kogane?" Pidge suddenly sat up, matching the points together in her head. "How did I not notice..? He's well-known for being a strange, but hot, dickhead."

"Well, they got dickhead right.." Lance mumbled, stabbing his fork into the crispy waffle. "Hot too..."

"Ugh, we get it. You think he's hot. I'm gonna throw up if you start getting poetic about him too," Pidge gagged with a warning.

"How can someone be THAT attractive? Clearly, I'm not one God's favorites."

"That's rich coming from the school athlete. Y'know, the one who got into state championships with a whole fan club?"

She wasn't kidding. Room 342 was literally a club room dedicated to stalking and fangirling over the boy.

"Damn right! You're talking to the head of the team, #1 player in the whole academy and county combined."

"How'd you not get noticed by the league yet..?" Matt butted in, shoving a piece of Lance's waffle in his mouth before he had a chance to object.

The player just sighed and tossed his plate towards Matt, who happily accepted the free food. Bills were exchanged, and the group was ready to part ways. The Holt's screamed their goodbyes, throwing up middle fingers for extra measure.

"Hunk, you won't BELIEVE the day I've had."

Keith had never been one to hold a conversation for more than 5 minutes. So when a tall, lanky guy showed up at his feet, he was utterly confused. Lance McClain, the state championship winner and #1 player on the basketball team. Everyone from every part of town knew his name. What would he want?

The next morning, Keith sprung a beat up with a pencil before writing the rhythm into his notebook for a possible song.

"Hola, mi amor~"

He recognized that voice, that spanish, and infuriating shadow, leaning over him.

"Lance."

"Wha- How'd you know?! That's like, really, lame." the Cuban huffed, almost breathing down on Keith's neck.

Way too close.

He shot a glare back. "Why are you here? To bother me? Tease me?"

"Kinky. Y'know, I thought you'd be into that bland, vanilla fuc-"

"Ok, bye." Keith stumbled up with a beet, red flush. His chair knocked back, hitting his ankle as he attempted to make a run for it.

A large thump crashed onto the carpeted floor, echoing in the room full of silent students. Heads began to turn and whispers were exchanged. A flash of embarrassment struck Keith like a bullet, sweat forming on his forehead and tears in his eyes. His heart pumped faster than ever: he just wished for it to cave in on itself and kill him already. Lance bursted out into laughter, followed by a few other folks in class.

He chuckled a little and reached his hand out, warm and welcoming, "Woah, buddy. You good? Man, that fall was hilar-"

"Please.. not now, Lance," Keith mumbled before bolting out of the room, leaving Lance gap-mouthed in shock.

"Keith?"

He could've sworn he heard a sniffle as the drummer slammed the door on his way out.

This was not happening. This could not be happening.

Keith splashed the cold water on his burning face. Somehow, he felt as thought he could hardly breathe, hyperventilating harshly.

Stupid Lance and his stupid schemes.

"He tripped me on purpose, didn't he..?" he cried just above a whisper, washing away the new waterworks that flooded down his face. He never envisioned Lance being such a jackass.

"No, the recipe is remaining a secret, Pidge. I'm scared to find out what happens when Lance finds-"

A new face stared at him. 

Keith trembled and sunk to the ground, losing the rest of his energy to just run away to Shiro. His vision blurred and almost didn't notice when a large bear-like human began hugging him.

Normally, he would punch, kick, and yell at the thought of being touched by anyone, especially a stranger. But.. for a moment, he felt almost safe as a short girl began to pat his head and continue their previous conversation.

Pidge, was it?

..Must be Matt's sister with a name that familiar.

Hunk didn't know what to expect when he found Keith Kogane, of all people, leaning over the sink with red rimmed eyes and a puffy face.

All he did was cry in defeat while Pidge exchanged a suggestive glance to Hunk.

_'It's Lance's future boyfriend,'_ she hinted with a raised brow before he signaled to her to keep quiet.

"Say.. Do you wanna sit at lunch with us? We'd _love_ to have you," the gremlin proposed. A horrible, yet brilliant idea. "Plus, I think you need a break from.. whatever this is."

It wasn't worth a shot. I mean, someone like Keith would much rather spend his lunch hour practicing the drums or being alone. If he says yes, Lance will definitely throw a tantru-

"Sure."

Great.

* * *

Lance screeched one of the most offended gasps when he noticed who was at their table. Keith? At his table? Why?

"Hunk, we should move to the other table. There's someone already at ours," he not-so-discreetly signaled at his friend.

"I invited him," Pidge intruded, appearing from thin air.

"YOU WHAT?"

"Why not? Just thought it'd be fun," she rolled her eyes, smirking with her back turned to the rest. "Very fun."

"He HATES me, Katie! HATES me, I tell you. I literally made him cry earlier, and I have no idea what to say to him."

The group ignored Lance's verbal fit and joined Keith at the table.

Hunk slightly elbowed the other boy, "Don't worry so much! It's not like it's gonna be awkward or anything."

* * *

"Uh.. so Keith. How was your day?"

"Not great."

"Well, what do you do in your free time..?"

"It's a secret."

"Oh..! Um.. So, how was your day?"

"Uh. Not great, again."

Lance put his head in his hands and groaned. Pidge sighed and slammed her hand on the table, abruptly startling everyone.

"This has been fun and all, but we need a new plan," she nodded as everyone began agreeing with her.

"Plan?" Keith raised an eyebrow, dismissing the situation. This was too different.

She pointed her finger at his face, "Yeah, like a bonding exercise.

..How does korean barbeque after school sound? I know a place."


	3. Conversate with Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance finally gets Keith talking.

**CHAPTER 3**

Note to self: never doubt Pidge. She hunts out the best of the best; no one knows how, but she manages to make a hole in a wall restaurant sound appealing.

Which was.. exactly what this place was.

Keith got a little antsy as he rode to the location. He hadn't said a word to Lance since this morning, and now he was having dinner with his friends instead of practicing his new piece.

Lance was last to arrive, as expected. For a restaurant in the wall, he seemed a little overdressed. However, he couldn't stop himself from noticing how good his white button-up contrasted his tan skin.

"Seoul Bites: KBBQ 193," Pidge read with pride. It was one of her proudest discoveries, not even revealing it to Hunk nor Lance until tonight. "They have a karaoke and everything."

The team welcomed themselves into the place, surprisingly packed with people. (Granted, there were only 5 tables.)

A tall, broad woman walked up to their table, rather than the Korean waiters who were serving the others.

"Good evening! I'm Shay, and I'll be your waitress tonight," she grinned, setting down the small, black cups of hot tea and side dishes. "I'll be back in a jiffy to take your orders. Our special for this week is the roast duck platter with complementary sides of your choice."

As the waitress left, Pidge just shook her head and snatched up the menus.

"Trust me on this," she promised.

Unexpectedly, Lance was not intrigued by Shay. (Unlike literally every other woman he's encountered during his teenage years.) But, Hunk was currently swooning over her, chatting up Lance on how to get her attention.

After a 20 second pep talk, he ended up going to Pidge for some neighborly advice instead.

"Hunk? Buddy? C'mon man, it can't be that bad!"

"Your 'flirting' should be outlawed, Lance," Pidge pointed out, sending off Hunk with much more logical advice.

Lance slumped down in his seat, disappointed. "What about you, mullet?"

"Mullet..?" Keith frowned, distracted from his thoughts. He was still a little wary to stick around someone like Lance, after all.

The other took this as a chance to finally start a conversation, ignoring his last efforts. "Yeah, I mean it's long and stuff. Definitely an 80's mullet."

"It's not a mullet," he responded in defense. "And no, I don't have any advice for dating girls."

"What about guys?"

Keith flushed up again. What was he implying? "Maybe.. but I don't date much," he simply said.

The other suddenly bursted out in a conversation about growing up with a bisexuality crisis. He detailed every story about his gay panic for his favorite superhero, Spider-man.

"He's just so hot and strong. Can you name a better superhero?"

"Uh.. Mothman." Keith lit up slightly. "He's my favorite. Every night, my brother would tell me about all his adventures and that he was the best hero ever! He looks and acts exactly like a moth!"

Woah.

Lance did not expect that. That was the most Keith had ever said in a conversation since they've met. (Except for like their first impressions, but he doesn't wanna talk about it..)

He felt the urge to continue the conversation before Keith had a chance to go back to his old, emo self again. Even though, he was 99% sure Mothman wasn't even a legit character..

"I played all the Spider-man PS4 games, and holy shit, the art is so good. I love how realistic they make all the plants look; it reminds me of my abuela's florist shop near the park!"

"I got all the collectible, Mothman cards off of ebay. Best $700 investment ever." he sighed, embracing the thought of Mothman. "I like purple roses, like the one in his comics!"

What the fuck. Purple.. roses..?

"Hell yeah; those are the best!"

What the hell are purple roses?

Even through Lance's clear confusion and obvious small talk, Keith didn't think this idea was half bad.

* * *

Lance was so sure he was in heaven. The way the pork melted in his mouth; the way the steak tasted smokey and tasted like God's gift to this cruel world. Everyone seemed to be in agreement. Even Keith was enthused to consume as much kimchi and pork as humanly possible.

He looked like a hamster, cheeks full of food, as he continued to try and fit more rice in there. Lance chuckled at him, smiling before turning away as he looked back.

The waitress from before, Shay, stepped on stage. She rang a cowbell, gathering everyone's attention.

"Thank you all for dining here tonight at Seoul Bites: KBBQ 193. Our karaokes are out, and our mics are ready. For anyone who'd like to sing tonight, please let one of the staff members know, and we will set you up right away!"

The room ignited into cheers and laughter. Pidge shot Keith a knowing look, "I think I know someone who can sing."

"Oh. No. No, no, no. I can't- I shouldn't," he stammered out, feeling that familiar anxiety implode in his chest.

Hunk gasped, "Keith, do it! Now, I'm intrigued."

He continued denying and shaking his head in panicked refusal.

Well, until Lance spoke up, "You should, mullet. We'll cheer you on, buddy!"

Keith felt a strange sense of comfort by his new group of friends. Pidge took him by the hand and led him to the staff worker near the stage.

"You're so dead," Hunk whispered, bubbling at his friend's red face.

"You already know I am."


	4. Friends, Maybe?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance share a bonding moment :)

**CHAPTER 4**

_Deep breaths, Keith. Patience yields focus..'_

He paced at the bottom of the stage, noting the rush of adrenaline as Katy Perry pumped throughout the restaurant.

Remembering Shiro's advice, he began to breathe slowly, intoxicated with the rhythm.

Before he knew it, he was on stage with a mic with a new flash of confidence. A few recognizable "woohoo"s and cheers echoed through his ears.

"...This was never the way I plNanned;

Not, my intention~

I got so brave- drink in hand..

Lost, my discretion.."

The lights dimmed and the room went silent as no one but Keith stood loud and proud. Everyone listened in, fascinated.

"Just.. wanna try you on~

I'm curi- ous for you.. Caught, my attention.."

Lance looped back into his spell from the first encounter. His singing really was something else.

"I KISSED A BOY, AND I LIKED IT~

THE TASTE OF HIS CHERRY CHAPSTICK~"

A few whispers roamed throughout the barbeque. _"Did he change the lyrics?"_

The group chuckled at their bantering. Lance just grinned and whispered to no one in particular, _"He sure did."_

* * *

The rest of the night was flooded with blurred excitement and smiles. Though the food was beyond heavenly (Thanks Katie), the check was eventually paid for before they went broke from eating out the whole menu.

Keith buckled on his helmet, tampering with the difficult locks. Weirdly, Lance, the only one still with him, simply stood there in a daze.

"Uh.. Lance?" the boy snapped out of his thoughts. "I'm gonna head home now. Tell everyone that I said thanks for the food and stuff."

Silence simmered throughout the parking lot. A raindrop hit the concrete. Then another. And another.

They stared at each other awkwardly in the mist of the rainy weather.

"Well, bye, Lance-"

"Wait!"

This was new.

"Yeah?" Keith took off his helmet, ruffling his dampened hair. "I'm listening."

"Oh- um.. I just wanted to apologize for the other day and shit. You're a good singer- well not good, great actually. But anyways, uh."

"Mhm?"

"I didn't mean to offend or hurt you. So, I'm sorry if I did beforehand. And all honesty, I think you're a really cool guy.. Friends?"

He smiled, nodding, "Friends."

"Woo, thank god," Lance huffed in relief. "I'll see you tomorrow then, new friend."

"Don't make me change my mind," Keith harmlessly threatened, fitting his helmet back onto his head.

"I could never!" he scoffed, protesting. "Once you get a taste of Lance, you can't go back."

"Sure; I'll take your word for it."

Comfortable peace stirred between them before they both bursted out laughing in the rain.

"Bye, Keith," he helplessly smiled and waved.

"Goodnight, Lance. See you soon."

And with that, he started up his bike and drove away.

* * *

"I can just drive myself to school, Shiro," Keith whined, throwing a fit as he clicked his seatbelt on. "It's not like the tire is that busted.."

"Keith, that tire is literally deflated with a giant, gaping hole in it. I'd love to watch you even try to get that thing started."

He was right. He always was.

Last night, his bike had broke down after a stray branch had penetrated his wheel. It was too late to argue any more about it anyways; they were already reaching school grounds.

5 minutes into class and Keith was already zoning out, tapping on his desk to a light beat.

Biology was never something he had typically been interested in. It filled him with boredom. mRNA, DNA, genomes, whatever.

Who cares anyways?

Leave all the science shit to the scientists. He didn't mind it as much since Hunk was in this class, which he didn't realize until last night. To be fair, each class packed about 90 students, so it seemed fair enough to not have known about Hunk's arrival.

"Keith, buddy."

Speak of the devil.. or maybe the angel? He definitely wasn't a devil, but using "angel" would ruin the point of the saying. Did it matter..?

"Yeah?" Keith finally answered with a delay. "What's that?"

"Our summative project! It's about 20% of our grade because it's the last one before winter break."

He briefly skimmed the rubric. "Seems doable. We could do a poster board, describing the cycle of each cell and organ."

"Nice! We can finish it tonight at my apartment, if you want?"

Keith agreed, figuring he could speed rush it all by the end of the day. Band practice was canceled because of Matt's wisdom teeth removal anyways. That should be an extra 3 hours to kill.

* * *

The day flew by for Lance. He rushed from class to class, stuffed with assignments and textbooks.

Basketball was like therapy for him. Even through the hardest days, he'd find hope and motivation whenever he would toss around that orange ball.

His team had a game that weekend, so practices were extended for an extra hour. Not that he minded though.

He scored 27 hoops in a row, earning a few compliments from his coach.

"Thanks coach. I learned from the best after all!"

Which was but also wasn't true.

Sure, he "learned from the best". But at the time, he was nowhere close to good.

Yep; Lance was self taught since 10 when his brother brought him to an abandoned school with the largest court he had ever seen. And since then, he was surely in love with the sport.

One point after another, like always.

A part of him knew he was never gonna get sick of this.

* * *

So, maybe Shiro had accidentally forgotten about Keith because of an unexpected date. And maybe Keith was stuck at the school for 3 hours with no ride.

So much for killing time.

He had 0 idea how to get home, let alone Hunk's apartment. Suddenly, a obnoxious crowd of shirtless men hollered in the field next to him. Not fun. They cheered at the top of their lungs, irritating him even further.

"Woah, woah. I'd love to stick around, but the Lance train will be departing now," a familiar voice echoed.

Lance?

Keith spun around in every direction, hoping to see the other somewhere. He squinted into the distance, desperately searching for him before getting lightly bumped.

"Keith? What are you doing here?"

Oh no.

Lance was a really handsome guy to say the least, but this was something else. He was drenched in sweat with a visibly, bare chest but still managed to look even hotter than ever before.

_'No time for gay thoughts,'_

He stated at Lance wide eyed in shock. "Lance! Oh.. Shiro forgot to pick me up, and I really need a ride to Hunk's place. Or at least home maybe or some fast food place.."

"Hunk? He's my roommate, man! Makes the best garlic knots ever. You can hitch a ride with me home," he gave a toothy smile, extending his hand in invitation.

Keith wasn't sure what to do except.. shake his hand..? It seemed to work though. Because before he knew it, he was on the way to the residential, "Altea Apartments and Complexes"

He couldn't ignore the way Lance screamed along with the songs on the radio. The way he stretched his long arm out the window to catch the fresh breeze.. Or how sweetly he smiled when talking about his loved ones.

For such a good driver, you would think Lance would actually know how to parallel park decently. Keith eventually just got in the driver's seat and did it for him.

There, stood, what seemed to be 200 flights of stairs.

"Oh.. yeah. About that. Uh, we live on the top floor. Last time I checked, elevator was broken so.."

"Fucking fantastic," he groaned.

All hell was about to break loose.


	5. Cooking's Overrated (Allura too)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is on an emotional rollercoaster when it comes to Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late-ish update! More chapters coming soon.

**CHAPTER 5**

"Wanna race, Samurai? I bet I can beat you in .000058 seconds,"

"What are you, six?" Keith scoffed, crossing his arms. "Let's do it."

Lance counted to 3.. before running on 2. Keith stumbled, hurrying to catch up to victory. Unfortunately, he wasn't as lengthy as the other. Curse his short legs.

Meanwhile, the Cuban raced up 4 steps at a time. Freedom was so close, yet so far. He couldn't wait to rub his bragging rights in Keith's fac-

"KEITH?!"

A figure flashed past his eyes, flying up the stairs quicker than a cheetah. Keith held onto the rail before swinging his body up every set of stairs, leaping through the air.

He awaited at the top of the staircase, smug, "Serves you right, dirty cheater."

"Wha..? How?! I was ahead the whole time! You cheated, did you?!" Lance whined, pouting at his loss. "What are you? A ballerina? How were you able to jump that far? Do you have invisible space boots or something?!"

The other stepped back in surprise. What the hell. "What?! No! How did you know I used to do ballet? Are you stalking me?"

"..Wait what? You did ballet, really? This isn't funny, Mullet! Tell me the truth."

"It IS the truth! Why would I lie about that? Anyways, that's not the point. I'm really concerned about the fact that you're creeping into my life story," he sighed in frustration. So what he used to be a ballerino? Why did it matter so much?

The silence grew before Lance whispered something just barely audible.

"...So, are you flexible?"

Keith's face heated up in embarrassment before turning away. "Fuck off, Lance."

He bursted out into laughter, poking at the newfound fact. Keith's grin widened, face completely flushed and red.

They were giggling like children in the middle of the hallway, finding every mindless thing humorous.

Until.. a beautiful girl stepped out into the light. She was tanned with white hair and beautiful eyes: probably Lance's type. Keith lowered, feeling his self esteem waver in the presence of the stranger.

Lance recognized the so-called stranger. Allura, his major crush from back in grade school. He didn't exactly.. feel those familiar emotions towards her anymore. But any guy with some taste would still swoon over her godly looks.

"Ah, hello Lance," she politely waved, smiling at the pair.

He returned the gesture. "Hey Allura! Lookin' fine as always!" he winked, jokingly.

Keith glanced back and forth between the two. Something felt.. wrong.. like a lump was trapped beneath his throat. Or a weird stir of anger that bubbled inside of his chest.

The beautiful girl simply rolled her eyes and held her hand out to him. "Who's this? Hello! I'm Allura; my uncle owns the building."

"Keith," he responded, ignoring her welcome.

She appeared confused, as if she had never been rejected in such a way before. "Oh, well.. I hope you enjoy your stay. Nice meeting you."

"Likewise."

* * *

At this point, Lance had dragged Keith away, apologizing for his lack of enthusiasm.

"Hey, man. I know you're not the friendliest, but don't be a total douche to the other people here, okay? I'd personally like to keep my sexy reputation." he snickered, shoving the other lightly.

Keith felt a drain within him, a blanket of guilt, a tower of shame. He didn't mean to make Lance look bad infront of his crush.

He squirmed at the word. Why was it bothering him so badly?

Before he knew it, he was entering Lance and Hunk's shared apartment.

"Keith! I almost thought you set me up!" the other smiled wide. "What happened, man?"

"Nothing much. Shiro just forgot to pick me up because of Adam.. he's not answering any of my messages either."

"Bummer. Well, at least you're here! Help yourself to anything in the fridge." he gleamed, pulling out textbooks and arranged notes.

"Let's begin with the amino acids."

After much scurrying and annoyed sighs, the two wrapped up their script smoothly.. with the exception of a few Lance interventions. To be fair, all he really did was just poke at Keith, steal a few garlic knots, and screech spanish songs in the living room (which was right next to the kitchen where the partners were studying..)

"Alright, Keith," Hunk sighed, cleaning up the hours worth of paper and junk. "We can work on the actual project on Thursday. Pidge mentioned Matt wanting to begin practice again tomorrow!"

"Sounds good. But uh.. I kinda need a ride back home.."

Right on cue, Lance popped out of thin air. "You got it, mullet! Just input the location into the GPS, and we'll be on our way,"

Hunk jumped up, "It's only 8pm, and I doubt you've eaten yet. No way am I letting you go home on an empty stomach."

Empty wasn't exactly incorrect.. he could definitely eat. "I don't wanna inconvenience you guys. I've already overstayed my welcome-"

"Nonsense! Come 'ere, Keith. We can just make pasta tonight!" Lance intervened (again). "I'll show you the ropes."

"..We?"

He had never touched a single cookware in his life; the most he could make was maybe instant ramen on the really good days.

"Hunk's a hardworker, so I think we should cook for him tonight."

"This is a horrible idea, Lance. I don't know how to cook."

"..Which is exactly why I'm about to teach you! Prepare yourself, mullet. They used to call me the tailor because of how I thread the needle," he winked, tying his "Kiss the Chef" apron on.

Keith groaned in defeat, "Not a mullet..."

Cooking couldn't be that hard.. Just a bit of chopping and then let the stove do all the work. Easy, right?

Oh, how wrong he was.

* * *

"What the fuck is a.. salt ee?" he squinted, glaring at the recipe.

Lance laughed, looking over his shoulder. "..You mean saute?"

"Sure, whatever. Same difference."

The other had taken control of the kitchen, dicing up tomatoes into a sweet puree sauce, and boiling water for the noodles.

"Can you dice up some garlic?" Lance called out, working around Keith and onto the tomatoes.

He nodded and grabbed a butterknife. A small knife for a small ingredient, right? He began.. sawing away at the clove. The garlic just mushed beneath the weak blade.

Fuck. How did Lance make this shit look so easy?

Speaking of which, the other boy full on screeched, staring at the monstrosity that he was creating.

"Oh dios.. You really don't know a single thing about cooking, huh?" he mumbled, pulling out a sharper knife.

Keith watched intently as Lance used the side of the weapon to smash the garlic before cutting it with a slick and fast motion. It sure looked diced, like the recipe wanted. Instead of cooking, he was sent to set the table and plate the food, which went slightly better (although Lance did fix up his every attempt). The spaghetti was hot and ready, visibly steaming with melted cheese oozing from the top to the bottom of the meal.

"Woah, this all looks great." Hunk settled down into his assigned seat. "Did you both do this?"

"Yep. We're a pretty good team if I do say so myself."

That's a lie. Lance did all the work, and he knew it.

"I should invite you guys to cook for me more often!"

"Oh god, please no," Keith sunk onto the kitchen counter. He never wanted to even look at a pan ever again.

* * *

"Thanks for having me over," he waved with a grin as Lance slid his shoes on. "I'll see you on Thursday for the project?"

"You got it, Keith! Drive safe, Lance," Hunk reminded gently.

He made a noise of acception and began to lead Keith to his car. Crickets and mosquitos could be heard as they sung in the dead of night.

Somehow, this day became perfect even with the horrid cooking and Allura experience. There just never seemed to be a dull moment with McClain.

"Hey, Lance?" Keith tugged on his sleeve, buckling his seatbelt on. "Thanks for everything. I'm glad we're friends now."

Lance smiled fondly, giving a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder, "Anytime, mullet."


	6. Keith Feels a Little Gay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all in the title, folks.

**CHAPTER 6**

Wednesday, Keith couldn't get his mind off Allura as he played random rhythms on the drum set. No matter how many times he remembered Shiro's "Patience yields focus." speech, he could tell he was slacking more than usual.

It began when he zoned out, only snapping back to reality when his sticks clattered against the cold floor. Then, he couldn't reach his regular enthusiasm without straining his vocal chords. Sure, Keith was never extremely friendly, but he never seriously snapped at anyone for no good reason until today.

What happened..? Puberty..?

He shook off the idea, trying to drag down his impulsive mood with it. Alas, no avail.

A flyer waved infront of his face. He felt the annoyance bubble up in his chest again, ready to smack it out of the other's hand. He abruptly stopped, glazing the words.

"BAND CONCERT NEXT TUESDAY FROM 6:00-7:30 IN SCHOOL THEATERS"

Fuck.

"No worries, Keith. We'll perform for a few classes on Friday before the real show next week," Matt hummed, handing out flyers to the others and taping them to the walls.

FUCK.

* * *

On Thursday, Lance attempted multiple hello's to his Keithy boy throughout the day, leading to nothing but silence and side glances.

Irritated was an understatement. They had bonded like 293 times by now.. what has gotten Keith so worked up?

He had been able to text Keith a few times, leading to hour long conversations and comfort, leaving him with a bubbly mood everytime. Like that feeling when he taught all of his siblings and cousins swim at their favorite beach. Pure happiness that he never wanted to feel end. Now, Lance felt his heart drop everytime he was shrugged off or just ignored. Like when he found out his mama had gotten seriously ill. Hopelessness that he hoped was just a nightmare everytime. Say something, Keith..

Meanwhile, Keith was aggressively trying to avoid Lance. How dare he invade his thoughts with his stupid smile and ..crush on Allura.

His face reddened at the thought of hearing Lance's goofy comebacks again

But there it was: that familiar sinking emotion that left him feeling worthless. This was so dumb. Why did he care so badly? Weirdly enough, the thought of Lance made his anger melt down into a puddle of nerves. Was he becoming soft ever since he met the other?

Every lesson led to another zone out, his thoughts only flooded with every fact and memory of Lance.

Just Lance, Lance, Lance, Lance.

God, he both loved and hated how smoothly his name rolled off his tongue, squirming at the flushed heat tickling beneath his skin. His notes were left bare with the exception of a few doodles; it was already 30 minutes before the end of last period. It was almost time to drive over to Hunk and Lance's apartment for the project.

_..Lance.._

In the heat of the moment, Keith spammed called and texted Shiro to simply drop him off instead. He really needed to get that tire fixed soon..

The bell chimed, signalling the end of class. He quickly shoved his supplies into his bag, bursting out of the room in a rush to get to the front of the school. Students crowded the halls with the same intention of getting out as soon as possible. The doors swung open as peers flooded out of the building, trampling the poor boy.

Keith spotted the familiar vehicle, throwing himself into the car head first.

"SHIRO.. oh hi Adam.. ADAM, I NEED HELP,"

"With getting into a car properly?" Adam tsked with a laugh.

Keith rolled his eyes, "No, advice."

The couple stopped dead in their tracks, exchanging telepathic words to eachother.

_Help? He's opening up? I feel like a proud dad.._

"Can you stop eye fucking eachother and help me?"

"Of course! What seems to be the issue?" Shiro proudly stated as the two struggled to hold back tears of joy.

Adam set his phone down, intrigued, as his fiance drove onto the roads. "So?"

Keith suddenly found the floor interesting; a wave of embarrassment suffocated him. "It's Lance.. I just, ugh, everytime I see him I- FUCK-" he screeched, headbutting into the back of the seat infront of him.

"Seatbelts on, Keith,"

"Yeah whatever.." he rolled his eyes, buckling up. "Anyways, I think he's evil. All he does is intrude all of my thoughts and makes me go red. I'm so confused.. I get so pissed thinking about Allura, his crush, but like.. happy.. whenever it's about Lance-

..Okay, can you guys stop crying? You're polluting the air in this car."

Shiro sniffed while Adam tossed tissues his way, "Sorry.. I- It's just that this is your f- first boy problem, and you trust us enough to talk about it.."

The other looked Keith dead in the eyes, "Sounds like a crush."

A what?


	7. Ignorance Is Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith pretends he does not see.

**CHAPTER 7**

Crush..? Keith wasn't supposed to have crushes. He was supposed to play in a band, finish school, and then go out and work some mechanical job with cars and shit.

This was unexpected.

Shiro was full on bawling at this point, pulling over the car to blow his nose. Adam rubbed his hand and chuckled at him. And Keith.. sat dumbfounded and silent in the car.

Was Adam right..?

Enemy, friend, crush.

Only one of those adjectives smoothly clicked with his brain: crush.

* * *

He was beyond pissed. He couldn't afford to be distracted like this, especially not before his huge concert next week. His world crumbled around him, shuddering in confusion and more unwelcomed imaginations of Lance.. like screenshots of all their adventures.

Oh no.

Speaking of Lance, he had locked himself in his room, moping over the distance. If Keith didn't wanna see him, he wouldn't force him. He gently patted on a charcoal mask, slumping into bed. A door clicked for a moment before two voices mingled in the room.

Keith made it safe at least. All there is now is just another soap opera while he waits for his mullet man to leave.. which was much harder than anticipated.

He hummed, danced, facetimed his sister, etc.. but still, only an hour had passed. The mask had been washed away, leaving Lance with a proud set of clean and empty pores. He winked at himself, threw up a pair of fingerguns.. and then went back to go cry about Keith.

Around 7pm and some takeout, Hunk glued on the last cut out image for their poster board. It was perfect and organized.

A roadmap led from one point to another, written with explanations, photos, and other paths to different parts of the body. You could start anywhere and end at the same location, like a cycle! It was beyond an A+.

He stalked behind Keith, watching him pack up his supplies and call a lift. Weirdly, Lance had been nowhere to be seen the whole night until 10 minutes later. Hunk stared as the two made eye contact, going red, and snapping their eye of direction away from each other.

That seemed pretty gay..

"Your bag.." Lance whispered softly.

The other's face went dark, "..Huh?"

Keith wasn't expecting to see Lance at this time, especially after he had disappeared for the whole evening.

"Here, let me."

Lance gently turned him around, as if he were made of porcelain. A sound of a zipper rung throughout the room.

"Oh, uh- thank you, Lance.." he smiled, feeling his consciousness fade more and more.

His head was littered with just Lance. His scent, smile, touch, everything.

"Yeah, anytime, buddy!" he shot a weak fingergun and wink back at Keith.

It went silent, again. Awkward but inciting at the same time. They exchanged a small smile before running away in opposite directions. Hunk stood by in utter disbelief.

Weird.

* * *

Friday afternoon approached quicky. Too quickly.

Trying to escape from Lance's gaze again was a complete nightmare. Every turn, he just seemed to pop up out of nowhere.

The constant "Hey, buddy!" was slowly driving him off the rails. Keith tip toed out of the building and rolled into the gym, keeping an eye out for a lanky figure.

He looked around thoroughly, relieving the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank god-"

"Hey, buddy!"

Keith screamed, darted left and right, and then sped into the supply room, locking himself in the tiny space.

What was Lance doing here?!

Lance was hyper when he caught a glimpse of the hanging flyers around school, and he was even more excited when he found out his class was going to see the band's rehearsal after school.

He noticed a short figure rushing around the corners like they were trying to fuse with the wall. A very recognizing mop of black hair and purple eyes. This was his chance to finally run up and talk to Keith about what was going on lately.

Instead of a warm welcome, he was met with a screeching voice crack and confusion.

A few other students had gathered, urging him to sit down on the ground with them. Lance noticed that remarkable black mop of hair bursting out of the storage room before becoming front and center. He sharply inhaled before tapping his drumsticks, gathering the crowd's attention.

_1, 2, 3, 4-_

"SOME DAY, I'LL LET YOU IN, TREAT YOU RIGHT, DRIVE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND-"

Damn, still as amazing as ever. For the audience at least.

Lance stared intently, eyeing Keith's every move. The shaky wrists, the strain on his voice, the low enthusiasm, all of it. It was all wrong. This wasn't the same Keith that played like there was no tomorrow.

"GIVE IT UP, YOU CAN'T WIN 'CAUSE I KNOW WHERE YOU'VE BEEN,"

He was no musical artist or specialist, but anyone could hear how off-key Keith actually was (if you listened hard enough of course). Don't get him wrong: it was an amazing performance. But, none of it felt.. genuine.

They played only a quick demo of every song, ranging from Victorious to solos and more. However, you could hear the dying in Keith the longer each piece had stretched on. A wave of worry washed over Lance. Had something gotten into him?

* * *

Keith shuddered as everyone piled out of the gym, talking and waiting for their parents. As per usual, he remained late, wiping down every sign of use. His mind was enraptured in the same things as always, Lance. He took his time, gently rubbing the clothes lightly on every inch of the instrument. Lance, Lance, Lance, Lance. Keith couldn't wait until this crush was over. By the time he had completed his work, the sun had set and a blanket of darkness companied the sky. Only a few street lights were on, but he still figured he'd just take a walk home instead of bothering Shiro at this hour.

A large hand suddenly grabbed his own, swinging him before getting pinned to the wall. Keith's heart was pounding, his mouth was dry, and he felt the blood in his veins race.

"LANCE?!"

"Keith."

"..Did you.. wait for me..?"

"Hell yeah I did. You take longer to clean an already-clean instrument than it takes me to do a while skincare routine."

Keith's lowered again, feeling disappointment in himself for being a burden to Lance. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever, Mullet," he smiled in response before getting red with fury, as if he suddenly remembered why he waited 2 hours in the dead of night.

"What the hell is your problem?! Why have you been avoiding me? Is something wrong? Why didn't you tell me?!"

This. The same fucking thing Shiro would try to pull on him back when he would get into school fights. That nostalgic emotion boiled his blood and before they knew it, they were screaming and fighting outside the parking lot.

"YOU'RE RUINING MY LIFE, LANCE! I'VE BEEN NOTHING BUT ANXIOUS AND SCARED, AND YOU'RE JUST HERE TO TALK ME DOWN?!"

Lance stopped, "Anxious? Scared? Because of the concert..?"

Wrong. "Yeah.. I mean something like that."

He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of what to do. "I'm taking you out tomorrow,"

"What?!"

"Not like a fight! Nor a date! Just.. y'know I wanna show you something that might help."

Keith paused; this was totally gonna hurt him more. But fuck it, right?

"Okay."


End file.
